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Following the collapse of Methuselah, in 1969 singer/multi-instrumentalists John David Gladwin and Terence Alan Wincott

Powered by Wincott's flute, 'Pavan' was clearly a slice of English folk-music. Lyrically it plunged you back into the time of Crusaders and serfdom. The funny thing is how surprisingly poppy the track was. Call it English folk music for folks who don't like English folk music. Besides how can you not smile when a song includes lyrics about a chastity belt ?

I'm sure someone has written a treaties on the meanings behind all of these songs. I've just never seen it. I do know that Saint Crispin's Day used to be a Catholic feast day with the martyed twin brothers Chrispin and Cripispinian serving as the patron saints for a host of blue collar professions - shoemakers, cobbelers, leather workers, etc. It's celebrated on October 25th. Musically this was a bouncy little Fairport Convention-styled slice of middle age pop. LOL

Admittedly the band's faux-mediaeval catalog isn't going to be for everyone, but the acoustic ballad 'Spring Season' was quite pretty. Nice platform to experience the trio's sweet harmony vocals and it's a treat for anyone who needs a dose of lute..

Ah to be lovelorn in mediaeval England ... Sounds like it sucked as much as being lovelorn today. Wincott's flute wasn't as enjoyable on this one, though their blended vocals were pretty cool.

No idea what the song was about, but the bouncy 'Evening Song' came off as almost commercial against their standard Renaissance material.

Amazing Blondel are an English acoustic progressive folk band, containing Eddie Baird, John Gladwin, and Terry Wincott.[1] They released a number of LPs for Island Records in the early 1970s. They are sometimes categorised as psychedelic folk or as medieval folk rock, but their music was much more a reinvention of Renaissance music, based around the use of period instruments such as lutes and recorders.

History John Gladwin (guitar and vocals) and Terrance (Terry) Wincott (guitar and vocals) formed a band called The Dimples along with Stuart Smith (drums) and Johnny Jackson (bass guitar). Signed to the Decca label they recorded a single, the "A" side "Love of a Lifetime" and the "B" side written by John Gladwin titled "My Heart is Tied to You". The record did not chart, although more recently the B-side has become popular on the Northern soul scene.[citation needed]

Following the break up of The Dimples John and Terry formed a loud "electric" band called Methuselah.[1] However, at some point in Methuselah concerts, the duo would play an acoustic number together: they found that this went down well with the audiences and allowed them to bring out more of the subtlety of their singing and instrumental work. They left Methuselah in 1969 and began working on their own acoustic material.

Initially their material was derived from folk music, in line with many of the other performers of the time. However, they began to develop their own musical idiom, influenced, at one extreme, by the early music revivalists such as David Munrow, and the other extreme, by their childhood memories of the Robin Hood TV series, with its pseudo-mediaeval soundtrack by Elton Hayes.

The band was named after Blondel de Nesle, the musician in the court of Richard I. According to legend, when Richard was held prisoner, Blondel travelled through central Europe, singing at every castle to locate the King and assist his escape. This name for the band was suggested by a chef, Eugene McCoy, who listened to some of their songs and commented: "Oh, very Blondel!" and they began to use that name. They were then advised to add an adjective (in line, for example, with The Incredible String Band) and so they became "Amazing Blondel".

Their first album The Amazing Blondel (also called "Amazing Blondel and a Few Faces,") was recorded in 1969 and released by Bell Records. It was directed by session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan.[1] At about this time, Eddie Baird (who had known the other members at school) joined the band.[1] On 19 September 1970 they were one of the bands to play at the first Glastonbury Festival.[2][3] Following what Baird described as "a disastrous 'showbiz' record signing",[citation needed] Amazing Blondel were introduced, by members of the band Free, to Chris Blackwell of Island Records and Artists.[1] Blackwell signed them up to Island, for whom they recorded their albums Evensong, Fantasia Lindum and England.[1]

In Baird's words (in a 2003 interview) the band "adored recording". They recorded the Island albums in the company's Basing Street Studios which, at that time, was the source of some of the most innovative independent music in Britain.

They toured widely, both in their own concerts and as a support act for bands such as Genesis, Procol Harum and Steeleye Span. On stage, they aimed at technical precision of the music and versatility of instrumentation (with most concerts involving the use of some forty instruments) interspersed with banter and bawdy humour.[1] However, there was a conflict between their managers' desires to organise ever more demanding tour schedules and the band's own wish to spend more time writing material and working in the studio. In the end, this led to the departure of John Gladwin (who had written most of their material) from the band in 1973, and the remaining two members decided to continue as a duo.[1] In this new format, they went on to record several more albums, with Baird now writing the bulk of the material. The first of these, Blondel, was their final release for Island. They were next signed to Dick James' DJM label, where they recorded three albums, Mulgrave Street, Inspiration and Bad Dreams.[1] They gradually modernised and electrified their sound. These albums featured a number of guest musicians, including Steve Winwood and Paul Kossoff.[1] There is a mistaken belief that, during this period, they shortened the band name to Blondel. This is probably caused by the title of the final Island album, and the front cover of Mulgrave Street, which gives the short version of the name. But the full name is given on the back and on the front of the next two albums. The final release in the 1970s was a live album.[1]

By the end of the 1970s, with disco being the largest selling music genre and with folk losing popularity, Baird and Wincott stopped performing under the Amazing Blondel name. John Gladwin reinherited the name and began to tour universities with bandmates, and former session players for the original Amazing Blondel; Adrian Hopkins and Paul Empson. This line-up had originally been billed as "John David Gladwin's Englishe Musicke".

The original band reformed in 1997 and produced a new album Restoration. They have since played at venues across Europe in the period 1997–2000. As of 2005, Terry Wincott had a successful heart bypass operation, which curtailed the band's plans for future concerts.

In 2005, Eddie Baird played two concerts in a duo with acoustic guitarist and singer songwriter Julie Ellison and is currently working on a collaboration with Darryl Ebbatson, called "Ebbatson Baird".

Band membership John David Gladwin and Edward Baird were born and brought up in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire: Terence Alan Wincott was born in Hampshire but moved to Scunthorpe at an early age.

The members of the band were all accomplished musicians. Gladwin sang and played twelve-string guitar, lute, double bass, theorbo, cittern, tabor and tubular bells. Wincott sang and played 6 string guitar, harmonium, recorders, flute, ocarina, congas, crumhorn, pipe organ, tabor, harpsichord, piano, mellotron, bongos and assorted percussion. Baird sang and played lute, glockenspiel, cittern, dulcimer, twelve string guitar and percussion.

Style of music The style of their music is difficult to categorise. Most of it was composed by themselves, but was based on the form and structure of Renaissance music, featuring, for example, pavanes, galliards and madrigals. It is sometimes categorised as psychedelic folk but would probably have been disowned by both the psychedelic community and the folk community, whilst being instantly recognisable to students of early music. Terry Wincott described it as "pseudo-Elizabethan/Classical acoustic music sung with British accents". Eddie Baird is quoted as saying "People used to ask us, How would you describe your music? Well, there was no point asking us, we didn't have a clue."[citation needed]

Their music has been compared with that of Gryphon and Pentangle: however, Amazing Blondel did not embrace the rock influences of the former nor the folk and jazz influences of the latter. They have also been likened to Jethro Tull.

Instruments The band employed a wide range of instruments (see above) but, central to their sound was their use of the lute and recorders.

When touring, the lutes proved to be quite difficult instruments for stage performance (in terms of amplification and tuning) and, in 1971, the band commissioned the construction of two 7-string guitars, which could be played in lute tuning. The design and construction of these instruments was undertaken by David Rubio who made classical guitars, lutes, and other early instruments for classical players, including Julian Bream and John Williams.[4]

Gladwin's instrument was designed to have slightly more of a bass sound, as it was used mainly as an accompaniment instrument, whereas Baird's had a little bit more treble emphasis, to allow his melodic playing in the higher register to predominate. The two instruments were individually successful and also blended well together. They also proved to be stable (from a tuning point of view) for stage performance. The guitars were fitted with internal microphones to simplify amplification.

Discography Studio albums Title Year Label Line-up The Amazing Blondel (aka The Amazing Blondel and a Few Faces) 1970 Bell Records John Gladwin, Terry Wincott Evensong 1970 Island Records Eddie Baird, John Gladwin, Terry Wincott Fantasia Lindum 1971 Island Records England 1972 Island Records Blondel 1973 Island Records Eddie Baird, Terry Wincott Mulgrave Street 1974 DJM Records Inspiration 1975 DJM Records Bad Dreams 1976 DJM Records Restoration 1997 HTD Records Eddie Baird, John Gladwin, Terry Wincott The Amazing Elsie Emerald 2010 Talking Elephant Eddie Baird, Terry Wincott Other releases Live in Tokyo (1977) (actually this live album was recorded in Europe) Englishe Musicke (compilation), Edsel Records, (1993) A Foreign Field That Is Forever England (recorded live, 1972–1973) HTD Records (1996) Evensong/Fantasia Lindum, Beat Goes On 626 (2004) Going Where The Music Takes Me (Live & Studio Archive recordings From The 60's To the 80's) (2-CD-Box + DVD), Shakedown Records (2004)(Compilation with 38 unreleased songs; no Amazing Blondel recordings but songs by the individual members) Harvest of gold - The English Folk Almanach (Live sampler including recordings from Steeleye Span; Fairport Convention and Magna Carta as well as five live recordings by Amazing Blondel from the early 1970s which are otherwise unreleased) References

Amazing Blondel were formed in late 1969 when John Gladwin and Terry Wincott left the heavy rock band Methuselah, after working an acoustic set into that group's performances and finding it went down well. Pursuing their muse, they recorded an album for Bell Records, Amazing Blondel & A Few Faces, which was more a sort of general acoustic folk-rock and on which they had the assistance of a number of well-travelled British session musicians (among them Big Jim Sullivan and Clem Cattini). A couple of tracks on that album hinted at the Elizabethan direction their music would take next, when Eddie Baird joined them during 1970. At the suggestion of Andy Fraser from Free, they scheduled an audition at Island Records, which apparently had showed some interest in them; they played "Spring Song" for Chris Blackwell, and when they finished, he asked them how much of an advance they wanted. They got enough for a new PA and a new equipment van, and they set about recording Evensong, of which "Pavan" and "Spring Song" are some of the highlights. This is beautiful acoustic music, on which the three men play between them a total of 40 instruments, and this was their modus operandi in performance as well as in the studio. (In fact, it was no secret that getting all those instruments in tune often took as much as 5 hours, and on the occasions they failed in this task, they didn't perform.Read more ›

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Renaissance Rock for the Discerning Listener

By Jdonliturgy on February 5, 2012

Format: Audio CD Verified Purchase

I had these albums in the 70's on vinyl.. and wore them out. Definitely worth having them again. These three guys from Lincolnshire played amazing lute, krumhorn and other original early music instruments, but the music is all theirs - in the style of the lute songs of John Dowland and other period composers. The vocals have an honest untrained amateur quality of sincerity that is pleasant, but not overly schooled.

"Fantasia Lindum" is a wonderful series of related pieces, containing "Celestial Light" - a beautiful and uplifting song about Lincoln Cathedral. However, hands down the best song on this collection, however is the pilgrim's song, "Safety in God Alone" with its wonderful refrain and uplifting message that life is a pilgrimage, but no matter what, God is with us.

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Evensong/Fantasia Lindum By the Amazing Blondel

By L. love on December 9, 2013

Format: Audio CD Verified Purchase

Another of my favorite, unique bands that write most of their own music in a traditional style, play some traditional classics, and play them on traditional instruments unlike Steeleye Span, my other favorite, who play traditional music with many modern electric instruments.

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A winner!

By susan Goldberg on July 30, 2014

Format: Audio CD Verified Purchase

Every note of every song they wrote... Have played this CD every day since it arrived! Can't say enough great things about it. Of all the albums that Blondel has done over the past decades- this is by far my favorite. Buy it and enjoy!!!

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For Likers of Melodic English Folk Music.

By Morten Vindberg on April 3, 2010

Format: Audio CD

The first time I heard the group Amazing Blondel was via the Island sampler "El Pea", which was a showcase of the label's latest releases by various different artists. There was very fine music on this double album, which was also an eyeopener for many other exciting names - including Mott the Hoople.

Amazing Blondel's contribution was the acoustic "Spring Season", which in just a few listenings became a favorite. It is of course impossible to get an overall impression of a group from just one number, the number may prove to be atypical for the group. A good example of this "Original Mixed-Up Kid" with Mott the Hoople which was also on the "El Pea".

I took the chance and ordered Amazing Blondel's first album "Evensong" home from England. I won't say I was disappointed with the album, rather surprised, because the music was somewhat different than I had expected. The group played a completely different kind of folk than popular groups like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. In addition, the group was almost completely acoustic.

It should, however, quickly show that "Spring Season" was far from the only memorable number on the album. Actually the songs are on very high level, not least melodically and musically the three group members turned out to be extremely competent and versatile musicians.

Should individual tracks be highlighted on "Evensong" besides "Spring Season", it must be very catchy opening number "Pavan", the optimistic title track "Evensong" and "Old Moot Hall".

The songs are mostly written by lead singer John Gladwin, who shows great talent for writing melodic songs in an old English tradition - at times slightly similar to Ian Anderson's acoustic songwriting. Lyrically some may feel that the songs lean a bit too much towards the sentimental - heart and pain universe - but in the end that's a matter of taste.

This release also contains the band's second album "Fantasia Lindum", which shows that the group had great ambition to develop and refine their musical expression.

Side one of the original album is a long suite of songs linked together by short instrumental interludes. Side 2 consists of songs in the same tradition as on "Evensong".

From the suite songs "Swifts and Swains" and "Licolnshire Lullaby" stand out; a shame that it has not been made possible to separate the suite numbers, a simple thing on a CD release. On side two "To Ye" and "Safety in God Alone" are favorites, but as it goes with "Evensong" the songwriting is on a very high level. Again, Gladwin is the chief songwriter with guitarist Edward Baird and multi instrumentalist Terry Wincott, each standing behind an instrumental track.

The group released two more albums for Island Records. The third, "England" was a natural extension of "Fantasia Lindum ', with slightly longer tracks and with more focus on the instrumental side. The group's fourth album "Blondel" was recorded without John Gladwin, and although the album has strong roots in the folk music, there are also clear influences from rock music, a development which should be much clearer on the group's later albums.

In recent years the group has reformed, with Gladwin back in the fold, and they are now playing very much in the same style as on their early Island albums.

Recommended for likers of melodic English folk music.

The trio's first fully realized album is a self-consciously archaic work built around medieval balladry and madrigals, and performed on period instruments. The group doesn't sound entirely at ease working in this style, but the crisp, folk-like feel and the timbre and singing have great charm. [The 1996 Edsel CD reissue contained new notes by the original group members, and was very finely remastered.]

A boderline inclusion in respect with progressive music. Amazing Blondel is a acoustic duo/trio of guys who play traditional english music , dressed up as bards and had quite a success at it in the early 70's folk circuits.

If I could describe them they would be a cross of France's Malicorne and Ireland's folk rock duo TIR NA NOG. Actually Blondel is not quite as precise or meticulous at reproducing the old folk songs as Malicorne or as powerfull/poignant as Tir Na Nog . Their stuff is actually quite gentile and goes a little too smoothly to my ears. Many melodic repetitions in the course of their first three albums (all I've heard so far).

Review by kenethlevine
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Team

"Amazing Blondel and A Few Faces", the debut album by Amazing Blondel, possessed a few delightfully rough edges, but those are effectively smoothed out as John David Gladwin takes charge of the group from a songwriting and vocal perspective. What is lost in spontaneity is gained in continuity, and such would be the case for three glorious albums of small p progressive minstrelsy. The progressive comes from the fact that hardly anyone was even thinking about doing what AB was actively attempting. The incorporation of ancient instrumentation and spry ancient melodies was psychedelic in and of itself, and only the group's live performances betray the tongue in cheek aspect - it all sounds pretty serious otherwise.

For the prog pedigree I point to the acoustically intricate "Queen of Scots", the fits and starts of "St Crispin's Day", and the airily eerie "Willowood", but I would recommend focusing on the sheer songwriting prowess and the penchant for making the new seem old. "Pavan" sets the tone from the start, and the rousing choruses of "Old Moot Hall", the harpsichord backing of "Under the Greenwood Tree", and the stately closing hymn "Anthem" all boast of authentic accomplishment.

It is true that the music of AB does not have much edge, but this is compensated for by the skill and judgement of the participants. It seems amazing that Island records gave a voice to this group, even knowing what we know about the musical diversity of that time, but many fans the world over are glad they did nearly 40 years on.

Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER

This is indeed a very folkish album. To find any prog relation here would result in a miracle!

It is just a bunch of simple and short acoustic songs with nice arrangements and decent vocals. That's the bill! Some unusual instruments are used here and there, but they are mixed with such a burden of lousy stuff ("St. Crispin's Day") that they aren't really put on the forefront.

This album has little to share with prog IMHHO. But, we'll see the band's evolution throughout their next works. This one doesn't contain any song which can move me. Not a lot of interesting tunes in here. If this band is on PA, I guess that Simon & Garfunkel can also claim their entry?Just listen to "Spring Season" to prove me right.

Their medieval sound might be of appeal at times, but I can hardly digest a song as "Willowood". Actually, the music played on this album is not very much of my liking: a combination of no prog with a lot of folk. Be it "Old Moot Hall" or the weak "Lady Marion's Galliard".

The positive point is the vocal harmonies which are well crafted, but this is not enough to make this album a good one in my prog view. Two stars for these (un) Evensongs.

Review by Andrea Cortese
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

When people asked Eddie Baird: "how 'd you describe your music?" he used to answer: "don't ask me, I have no idea".

Well, to be honest this band is not your typical progressive folk group. They play acoustic (gentle) folk with many references to the renaissance times (e.g. cither, lute, theorbe, crumhorn, tabor, harpsichord et alia) and absolutely no aggressiveness (very light percussion).

This album is, in particular, very luminous and happy sounding with no complexity in the songs' structure. Very different from the following (fantastic) work "FANTASIA LINDUM" with its memorable long acoustic elizabethan suite.

As many of their contemporaries (Steeleye Span, Strawbs, Gryphon) their production lost gradually the medieval feel and turned into a more "modern" sound. However, differently from their contemporaries, for the Amazing Blondel this process was very slow and they never opted for a full electrified folk.

Evensong: nomen omen; a name, a destiny.

Review by TCat
PROG REVIEWER

This album is AB's 2nd full album and is full of 100% Elizabethan-folk sounding music. The inclusion of lutes and reed instruments add to the authentic feel of the music. There is no progressive and there is no rock present in any of these tunes. They are simple acoustic tunes with that certain lilt that accompanies this style of music. Very nice to listen to, but the only challenging thing about them is whether you can sit through the entire half-hour set of songs. I enjoy them, but if you would have asked me 10 years ago, I would have found it difficult to sit through them all, so if you don't mind the naïve, yet bard-like sound of old renaissance, they are nice in a nostalgic kind of way.

A lot of people like to compare this music to Jethro Tull, and there are some similarities of course, because JT dabbled in this type of music a lot, but they also had a rock element added in even in their most hardcore Elizabethan-folk songs. JT also added the progressive element in most cases. However, you wouldn't be surprised to hear Ian Anderson singing "Spring Season" or "Willowood", which are the two songs that approach the JT acoustic sound. Also, the best song on here which is "Pavan" is the first one in line and starts things off quite well, but by the time I get towards the end, I have the feeling that a half-hour of this is enough.

An interesting thing to note here is that the lead singers Gladwin and Baird would have standard acoustic guitars made specific for the band to help substitute for reed instruments while in concert. One guitar was built to accent the treble and one for bass sounds. This mixture works quite well and they were very successful with it while playing live. You can also hear the distinct sound of both guitars in their music.

AB however, would continue on to their next album "Fantasia Lindum" with more progressive elements which would continue through the two albums also following that one. This makes the music a lot more enjoyable and adds a great variety to the music that keeps things interesting. Variety and complexity, though added in spare amounts, would improve the overall sound of the music. As far as this album, it is good, but non-essential. 3 stars.